by Ryan Gilbert
Stepping back onto dry land, Riggs said, “Alright, hold on now, Saph. You mean to tell me that that ship is the same one Kidd captained all those years ago?”
“I have no doubt of it,” said Sapphire, “It looks exactly the same as I remember it.”
The Captain could do nothing but gawk at the ship. It was nothing like he had pictured it from the stories. It was even better.
With a wave of her wand, the fairy lowered one of the Prize’s longboats into the water. Even without anything to guide it, it still came right to her, like she was pulling at some invisible rope.
Beaming from ear to ear, Sapphire turned to Riggs and said, “Are you ready to catch the rest of your friends, Captain?”
For the first time in a while, Riggs’ signature grin returned to his face.
“Aye, that I am.”
Ripper, Eli, and Coral Jack clambered into the longboat once it reached the shore. They tried to put aside their awe for the moment, focusing on getting back to the Red Sky.
Just as Riggs and Sapphire were about to climb into the longboat, they heard some noises behind them, like a crumbling stone. One of the large rocks from the collapsed cliff had started shaking.
“Riggs, come with me,” the fairy said, rushing to the rock with the pirate following right behind her.
Bits of the stone started to crack with white light shining through the little tiny holes. Sapphire had her wand ready, keeping it pointed at the rock. Riggs pulled out his sword, already guessing what was in the rock.
“Don’t tell me ye saved that monster too.”
The fairy turned to him with a guilty look on her face. The pirate just shook his head.
The rock burst open. Jonathan leapt out of his prison, his glowing eyes no longer pouring smoke out of them. As he flailed around, he had no idea where he was.
With no time to spare, Sapphire stunned him with a magic bolt, catching his attention. Riggs sneaked behind him as a ball of fire materialized in Jonathan’s hand. He raised it above his head, ready to strike down the fairy. With a roar, an angry Jonathan Warner threw down his hand…
… and the fire was gone.
Confused, he turned around and was face to face with Riggs. In the pirate’s hands rested the bracelet that Riggs had snatched from Jonathan’s wrist.
“Say goodbye, Mr. Warner.”
Riggs drove his sword straight through Jonathan’s gut. The blade ripped through the nobleman’s back, the bloody tip protruding through his tattered and dirty clothes.
Warner fell to the ground, clenching his teeth as he bled out on the sand. Displaying a surprising amount of determination, he slowly pulled the sword out of his gut. Riggs watched in satisfaction as his rival started to die, the glowing in his eyes having disappeared. Blood spurted from between Jonathan’s fingers as he writhed in pain.
As his enemy squirmed on the ground, a memory surfaced in Riggs head. He had seen this happen before, but it had not been with Jonathan.
It had been with Ororis.
Everything started to play out exactly the same.
Jonathan mumbled two words that Riggs had never thought he would hear again.
“Vulnus vita.”
Unlike with Ororis, Riggs was ready. Not allowing his enemy to get up, he planted his knee against Jonathan’s chest and held his sword to the man’s neck. Warner could not be killed because he would just heal himself. The next best thing would be to put him to some good use, all the while draining his power.
“Listen to me, Warner,” Riggs growled, “You’re goin’ to help all of us get back to my ship.”
Jonathan spit in Riggs’ face.
“What makes you think I’d help you? I want you dead.”
Dangling the bracelet in front of Jonathan’s face, Riggs said, “You’re gonna help us because we have this. What do you think holds all of your power?”
Jonathan’s eyes darted to the object, suddenly afraid. He did not want to give up the magic, even if he had no idea what it was. Riggs could read in his adversary’s eyes that he did not know how to use it. He just knew that it contained destructive power.
“The person who holds this controls how much power ye have,” Riggs lied, “Right now, I’m givin’ ye just enough to help us. Be glad I changed my mind about killin’ you.”
Riggs stood up and made his way over to the longboat with Sapphire. His three crewmates had their swords and pistols aimed at Warner, even as he just stood on the beach.
In a hushed voice, Coral Jack asked, “What’re we gonna do with him, Captain?”
Speaking quietly so that Jonathan could not hear him, Riggs replied, “We need to catch up to the Red Sky, so that’s what we’ll use ‘im for. When we have no more use for him, then I’ll make sure to run him through meself.”
Riggs pointed a pistol at their captive, motioning for him to come and join the group in the longboat. Reluctantly, Jonathan walked over to the longboat and climbed in, a scowl on his face as he noticed the pistols, swords, and a wand pointed at him. At Sapphire’s command, the longboat glided across the water, bringing the pirates to Captain Kidd’s legendary ship, the Adventure Prize.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Miles away, the Red Sky was trying its best to dodge the cannon fire of the two Navy ships that were right on its tail. Plumes of seawater shot into the air, drenching whatever poor souls were unlucky enough to be standing at the rail. Clint weaved the ship through the sea, just barely avoiding the barrage.
“These Navy buggers just ain’t giving up,” he said, spinning the wheel for all it was worth.
“Blame the training,” said Julia, cocking her pistol.
A cannonball hit the stern, breaking off some wood from the cabin. At the same time, musket fire started, hitting a crewmember who happened to lean over the side of the ship. His corpse fell over the rail and into the water.
“Didn’t yer father say this was the fastest ship on the sea?” asked Clint, panicking a bit.
“Yes.”
“Then why are they still keeping up?”
Another shot blasted through the back of the helm, missing the crew by mere inches. The attack caught Julia by surprise, and she jumped away from it. The tip of her boot caught the top stair, sending her tumbling down to the deck. Petey grabbed her hand, stopping her fall just as she reached the bottom step.
“Careful, Ms. Hamond. I don’t think the captain would appreciate ye dying on us.”
Half-heartedly laughing, Julia said, “I’ll worry about being careful when we get these ships off our tail. Any thoughts?”
As the rest of the crew scurried around him, Petey racked his old mind to try and help with a plan. He had been a pirate for most of his life. Surely, he knew of some way to combat their pursuers.
With a snap of his fingers, something clicked in his head.
Hurrying off with Julia in tow, he searched through the crowd of pirates, shouting, “Valera, where are you?”
The two scoured the deck, not seeing the mermaid anywhere. It should have been easy to find her, especially with her orange hair causing her to stick out from the rest of the crew. With foamy waters crashing on the deck and bits of wood flying into the air, Petey and Julia climbed below deck, pushing their way past the gunners.
“Get out here, you damn fish,” Petey yelled.
Behind them, a voice said, “It’s mermaid, old man.”
“I’ll apologize later. Come on.”
Rolling his eyes, Petey took Valera by her hand and led her back to the main deck, almost dragging her. Julia followed, wanting to hear the details of the old pirate’s plan.
“Valera, do you remember when you first met us?”
“Of course. All of you were stealing a ship to stop Garrett.”
“You remember how ye helped us get that ship?”
The mermaid took a quick look at the two Navy ships and turned back to Petey.
“I can’t handle two… one, maybe, but definitely not both of them.”
Clappin
g the mermaid on the arm, he said, “One’s all I’m asking. Leave the other one to us.”
A smile that seemed almost devilish crept across the mermaid’s face. She did not need to hear any more from Petey. Baring her fangs, she dove into the sea, her purple fin propelling her toward the unfortunate saps on the Navy ship.
“How’d she help you get a ship?” asked Julia, curious as to what had just transpired.
With a mischievous grin, Petey said, “Ye’ll find out soon enough.”
Directing his attention to the crew, he yelled as loud as he could, “Cover yer ears.”
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH
Even when the pirates knew it was coming, the screeching of a mermaid still felt like a knife being driven into their eardrums. Steering with one hand, Clint managed to keep the ship on a straight path, even with one ear screaming in pain.
Valera’s preemptive attack held one of the Navy ships at bay, nearly all of the soldiers dropping to their knees from the horrible sound pounding in their heads.
With no time to waste, Julia ran to the stairs of the helm, yelling, “Clint, bring the Sky about and engage one of those Navy ships.”
He did not have any time to argue. As soon as the screech ended, he turned the ship as fast as he could, pointing the bow straight at the Navy ship.
Onboard Valera’s target, the sailors were not sure how to react. They had never encountered a mermaid, much less been trained to deal with one. With ease, Valera snatched the men near the sides of the ship, pulling them down into the water to be drowned. For the ones that put up a fight, she was forced to use her fangs, biting into their flesh and tearing out their throats.
As she tried to leap onto the ship, a sailor used her momentum against her, slamming her onto the deck. He tore his rapier from his belt, but the mermaid smacked her tail against his arm with enough force to disarm him.
“What in God’s name are you?” he cried, holding his bruised hand.
“Don’t you know? I’m a mermaid,” she said with a cutesy smile before transforming her fin into legs and biting a chunk out of his neck.
The sailors started to surround her, their swords at the ready. Valera calmly let the dying sailor fall to the deck, opening her hands to show that she had no weapons other than her fangs.
“Keep your hands where we can see them,” one sailor ordered.
Valera turned to face him, turning her attention to him. She could sense the weakness in his mind. The way his eyes followed her… the way his finger twitched as she glared at him… it was all weakness.
“You want to see my hands?” she said, giving him a seductive smile.
He could not respond, but the mermaid could feel her magic working. The weapons around her started to lower ever so slightly.
“Do you want to see what these hands can do?” she said, letting her long fingers curl under the bottom of her bloodstained shirt.
With a tug, she pulled the shirt out of her skimpy dress, just barely exposing her naval. She giggled to herself as the men gawked. Lifting the shirt a bit more revealed her gorgeously shaped belly and the fairest skin that any of the sailors had ever seen. Several weapons dropped to the ground.
“What is the meaning of this?” yelled the leader. Hearing him, Valera stopped, dropped her shirt, and grabbed a sword from the deck. Apparently, he was not affected by her mermaid magic.
“Pick up your weapons and kill this abomination,” he ordered the sailors.
The men looked to their leader, then back to the mermaid.
With a nervous smile, Valera said, “Do kill him, dears.”
To her surprise, it worked. The sailors set upon the man like lions devouring a lamb. Using that as a distraction, the mermaid hopped up the stairs and yanked the wheel toward the Red Sky and its battle.
The pirate ship had no trouble dealing with the smaller vessel. The only difficulty was how resilient the Navy was. Even with cannonballs bursting holes in the sides of their ship, the sailors would not give up. They would not flee. A barrage of cannon shots struck the Red Sky, felling several pirates.
“Break out the chain-shots,” Julia yelled down to the gunners.
Gunshots rang out over the water as the two ships circled each other. Julia could see many of the sailors holding onto the rigging, preparing to board the Red Sky once they got close enough. With a small ship like that, it would not be too difficult for them to accomplish such a feat.
“Fire the cannons,” Julia ordered.
BOOM BOOM
The first shot missed the boat entirely, but the second chain-shot tore through the mast, bringing it crashing down onto the deck.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH
Valera’s voice barely reached the pirates, but the crippled Navy ship was hit with its full force. They barely even had enough time to react to their companion ship heading straight towards them.
“Hard to port,” Julia yelled to Clint.
The Red Sky turned as fast as it could, watching as the two Navy ships headed straight on a collision course.
CRRRUUUUNNNCH
The bow of the first ship tore through the second, ripping gaping holes in the wood. Sailors flew in every direction from the sudden impact. Some were crushed beneath the tons of wood bearing down on the broken ship. The ropes of the rigging snapped, tangling Valera’s ship with the cords. As the two halves of the crippled ship sank, they tugged the bow of their comrades into the ocean. Water poured into both ships, pulling the Union Jack below the waves.
Valera leapt out of the water and back onto the Red Sky, having abandoned the Navy ship just before its collision. The crew hustled to repair the damage done to the ship as Clint steadied the wheel.
“What’s the plan now?” asked Julia.
Taking a look through the eyeglass, Clint said, “Have a looksee and tell me what ye think.”
He handed her the tool, which she raised to her eye. Still a good distance away sailed a large ship that Julia could only imagine was the HMS Salvation. Based on just the brief glimpses that she had seen of that ship, they did not want to get anywhere near it.
“Can we outrun it?”
“Aye. A ship that big’ll be no problem.”
Handing the spyglass back, she asked, “Do you think we could sail around it without getting in range of its cannons?”
Confident in himself, Clint said, “I’ve gotten this ship out o’ tougher situations than that. With the sails full o’ wind, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Even then, Julia was a bit skeptical. Facing her father’s ship had been difficult for the Red Sky, so how well could it possibly fare against a ship about which they knew next to nothing?
“Valera, can you come here for a moment?” asked the girl.
As she hurried up the stairs, the mermaid responded, “Right here. What is it you need?”
“I hate to ask to you to do something again, but we need a distraction to keep that ship from catching us. If I know anything about the Navy, I know that they always place rescuing someone as their first priority.”
Guessing her friend’s request, Valera said, “So you want me to play the stranded damsel?”
“Well… we do need someone who can hold her own to keep them distracted. All you need to do is make sure they don’t catch up to us.”
With a nod, the mermaid said, “As you wish, Julia.”
Spinning around, she dove over the rail, swimming to a specific spot to lure the Navy vessel toward her. When Julia, Clint, and Petey could no longer see the mermaid, Clint directed the ship on a course that would hopefully keep them safe from the cannons of the HMS Salvation.
“Let’s go an’ get our captain,” he said, taking a swig of rum.
Powered by a captive Jonathan’s powers, the Adventure Prize once again sailed the seas, having not felt the wind in its sails for longer than a decade. To the pirates’ astonishment, the ship reached speeds almost matching those of their own pirate vessel. Magical winds were a powerful aid to acquire, albeit unwi
llingly. At the rate at which he was going, Jonathan’s powers would be gone by the time the Prize caught up to the Sky.
Riggs stood at the helm, teaching Sapphire how to steer the ship. After she had restored Kidd’s treasure to its original size and locked it on the bottom deck, there had not been much left for her to do. As her boredom had quickly set in, she had turned to the pirate captain for her amusement. To keep her occupied, Riggs thought some lessons would be in order.
Placing her small hands on the spokes of the wheel, Sapphire took to navigating like a natural. Her only problem was dealing with harsh winds or pounding waves. She pulled out her wand to calm them, but Riggs took her hand and placed it back on the wheel.
“How am I supposed to sail with the sea being so chaotic?” she asked, holding onto the spokes.
The pirate pressed her hands against the wheel so that she could feel the vibrations of the sea running through it. He gently eased the wand out from between her fingers and placed it back in her belt.
“There’s somethin’ ye’ve got to learn when it comes to life on the run, Saph. Everythin’ is chaotic. You’re not always gonna be able to change somethin’ with a swish o’ your wand.”
“But I…”
“No, listen,” Riggs interrupted, “If you want this ship to sail as it once did, ye need to actually feel it.”
Directing the fairy’s attention back to the wheel, the pirate asked, “What do you feel in your hands?”
The fairy held the wheel steady, holding as much of the wood as her fingers could reach. The faint rumblings of waves were disjointed, pounding against the sides of the ship with no rhythm at all.
“I feel… a mess. There’s nothing but constant jarring.”
“Turn the ship and tell me what you feel,” Riggs said, initiating a turn slightly to the port side.
It took a second for her hands to readjust, but she could feel the change almost immediately. What Sapphire felt was a song, a silent song sung by the sea with the waves as its voice. It flowed through her body like a graceful breeze.
As the fairy let out a soft breath of air, Riggs asked, “Do ye see what I mean?”